Forum on Open Content
Table of Contents
Contents
Follow-Up Information
Podcast of the Event. Thanks go to Paul Parkinson of http://www.podcastusermagazine.com/
Free Culture UK and RemixReading: Free Culture UK is actively working on many of the issues raised at the meeting. It has a large variety of affiliated local groups including http://www.remixreading.org/.
To get actively involved subscribe to the discuss mailing list
- The Creative Archive:
- An open letter which will focus on items such as the UK only restriction and incompatibility with Creative Commons is being prepared by Free Culture UK. If you are interested in signing on to this letter when it is ready please email: rufus [dot] pollock [at] okfn [dot] org.
- Copyright Term Extension
- To find out more about the current term extension see this page
Sign the petition against copyright term extensions and add your testimony at: http://14plus14.freeculture.org.uk/.
- If you want to do more you can:
- Get involved with Free Culture UK (see above)
Become a supporter of the Open Rights Group https://secure.openrightsgroup.org/support/
Subject Matter
This forum will focus on 'open content', that is works such as books, music, and films which are provided under terms that allow for free access, redistribution and re-use.
Open 'content' it would seem is everywhere what with Yahoo announcing there were over 50 million web pages licensed under Creative Commons, Microsoft teaming up with the British Library to digitize 100,000 out of copyright books (under the aegis of the Open Content Alliance), and the BBC piloting the Creative Archive project which will make large sections of its back catalogue available for free online.
The forum provides a chance to discuss these dramatic changes as well as to ask important questions such as:
- What exactly does 'open' mean? Does it mean 'full' freedom to access, redistribute and re-use or are restrictions such as those in CC non-commercial licenses allowed?
- How should we promote the creation and distribution of open content?
- Who will be producing open content and how will it be funded?
- To what extent do monopoly rights such as copyright hinder, or help, the development of open content?
Speakers
Cory Doctorow, Writer and Campaigner
Tom Chance, RemixReading and Free Culture UK
Nicola Smyth, Information Architect of the BBC Creative Archive
Where and When
- When: Wednesday 22nd February 2006, 7-9pm
- Where: Stanhope Centre, Marble Arch, London, W2 2HH. (Directions) (Map)
Who can attend: public. Registration is optional but useful so please notify us if you can via okforums-info [at] okfn.org
About the Forums
The purpose of the forums is, simply, to promote open knowledge, be that getting it, using it, or sharing it. They are a series of informal gatherings and while centred on the subject of open information/data they are flexible in form and content. They aim to bring together those producing and those campaigning, and to cover everything from software to the law. The sessions are usually held in the evenings in London and their format is to have talks by three or four different people followed by a general discussion.